WINONA, Minn. - Ellen Koranda (Blue Earth, Minn.) and Tera Bollig (Cambridge, Minn.) have been the Saint Mary’s University women’s cross country teams top two runners all season - one week, Koranda would take center stage, another, it would be Bollig’s turn.

Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Division III Central Regional, the Cardinal duo was at it again.

And this time, it was nearly impossible to tell which one was the leader, and which was the follower.

Koranda completed the six-kilometer race on the Waverly Municipal Golf and Country Club in 24:28 to place 58th overall, while Bollig was just three seconds behind, placing 59th in 24:31.

The twosome helped SMU to a 17th-place finish in the 22-team field, while the Cardinal men, paced by Andy Boisjolie (Austin, Minn.) for the eighth straight week, finished 21st out of 22 teams.

"It was a good way for us to end the season," said SMU coach John Skemp. "Tera ran an outstanding race, and Ellen, whose been battling a nagging injury all season, really gutted it out (Saturday).

"It was a solid performance all around."

Luther and St. Olaf took the women’s and men’s team championships, respectively, as the Norse women ended with 96 points, defeating the 22-team field by 53 points. Wartburg (149 points), Carleton (154) and Nebraska Wesleyan (179) all qualified for the 2004 NCAA Division III National Championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 20, at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

St. Olaf’s men finished with 81 points, holding off a strong charge from Carleton to beat the MIAC and cross-town rival Knights by four points. Wartburg took third with 97 points, while Nebraska Wesleyan was fourth with 104. All four of the teams qualified for next weekend’s national meet.

Wartburg added a pair of individual championships to its team national qualifications. Senior Missy Buttry and senior Josh Moen return to defend their national individual championships after winning the regional in times of 20:17 (Buttry) and 24:53 (Moen).

Ashley Davis (Hugo, Minn.) was the third Cardinal across the finish line, posting a time of 25:19, while Keri Drake (Sturgeon Bay, Wis. / 25:42), Anna Curtis (Franklin, Tenn. / 26:19), Sarah Zweber (Elko, Minn. / 26:52) and Jenny Folgers (McHenry, Ill. / 27:15) rounded out the Cardinals’ top six.

On the men’s side, Boisjolie clocked a team-best 8K time of 28:28, with Karl Hatteberg (Waltham, Minn.) and Aaron Raulin (Madison, Wis.) close behind in 29:10 and 29:15, respectively. Pat Polasek (Glendale Heights, Ill.) chipped in a time of 30:48, with Steve Adams (Roseville, Minn. / 31:30), Pat Bansley (Chicago, Ill. / 32:06) and Mike Marek (Winona, Minn. / 33:32) rounding out the SMU runners.

"I was pleased with the way we continued to improve as the season went on," Skemp said. "Our depth hurt us a bit on the guys side, but overall, I would say this was a successful season."